__
The morning after the festival came too soon. The bright joy of the lantern-lit streets had faded, replaced by the somber quiet of departure. Chi Yu stood by the cart as her parents loaded the last of their belongings, her fingers toying with the bracelet Huayiang had given her the night before. Its intricate beads seemed to pulse with life, a tangible reminder of the fleeting connection she’d made.
208Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMfXqNrDGkS
“Chi Yu, stop daydreaming and help your father with the chest!” her mother scolded, her tone sharp from the stress of the move.
208Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCvpQnBstlj
“Yes, Mama,” Chi Yu replied, slipping the bracelet back under her sleeve and hurrying to help.
208Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu7ueN01kiI
The chest was heavy, its weight biting into her hands as she and her father hoisted it onto the cart. The reality of leaving struck her again, each movement making it more real. This wasn’t just a morning chore—this was goodbye. Goodbye to the streets she’d memorized, the neighbors she knew by name, and the city she’d always thought she’d grow old in.
208Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg1QUcKOvFo
As they secured the chest, her younger brother, Ming, bounded up, his cheeks flushed with excitement. “Do you think Sizhou will have dragons?” he asked, his eyes wide.
208Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJJmH2kF6r0
“Not real ones,” Chi Yu said, forcing a smile. “But maybe dragon kites or carvings.”
208Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4bfR6XXe4y
Ming’s enthusiasm was undeterred. “I’ll find a dragon one day,” he declared, racing off to inspect the cart wheels.
208Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlK84DqHuv5
Her father chuckled. “That boy’s head is always in the clouds,” he said, patting Chi Yu on the shoulder.
208Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8HASa79udJ
Chi Yu nodded absently, her thoughts elsewhere. She glanced back toward the direction of last night’s festival, half-expecting to see Huayiang standing there, his dark changshan stark against the morning light. But the streets were empty save for a stray dog nosing through discarded wrappers.
208Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0QfgWTmG0h
“Chi Yu!” her mother called again. “It’s time!”
208Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTarwotRyNn
With a final look at her childhood home, Chi Yu climbed into the cart, settling beside Ming. The wheels creaked as the ox began its slow march forward, and Chang’an started to shrink behind them.
208Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcbu1i6rdRH
As the city disappeared from view, Chi Yu reached into her sleeve, letting her fingers trace the bracelet. Last night felt like a dream—a brief, impossible connection in the midst of a sea of celebration. Yet the bracelet was real, and so was the promise they’d made.
208Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLcOc3CmfYY
“Chi Yu, why are you so quiet?” Ming asked, tugging at her sleeve.
208Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKA7JmUVZUd
“I’m just thinking,” she replied.
208Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ24iAgaNa2r
“About what?”
208Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOOlzL3RrNF
“About dragons,” she lied, smiling at him.
208Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjsXpIC6M9z
Ming grinned, satisfied, and returned to peering over the side of the cart.
208Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLlg1R3942z
208Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIEoMybU0ga
---
208Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsHS2SLIDAB
The journey to Sizhou was long and uneventful, the days marked by the steady rhythm of the ox’s hooves and the occasional chatter of passing travelers. Sizhou, when they finally arrived, was a different world entirely. Its streets were narrower, its buildings taller, and its air heavy with the scent of river water and freshly ground spices.
208Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡztbnex7cR2
Their new home was modest but comfortable, nestled at the end of a bustling street lined with food stalls and fabric merchants. Chi Yu’s mother wasted no time organizing the household, barking orders as Chi Yu and Ming unpacked.
208Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡegeixp2kNL
Days turned into weeks, and life in Sizhou settled into a routine. Chi Yu helped her mother in the kitchen, ran errands for her father, and kept Ming out of trouble. Yet, no matter how busy she was, her thoughts often wandered back to Huayiang and the night of the lantern festival.
208Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnUpJWwXV3Z
She hadn’t told anyone about him—not her parents, not even Ming. It felt too personal, too precious to share. But at night, when the house was quiet and the city’s noises softened to a distant hum, she would hold the bracelet and wonder.
208Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZFe1vIFJTS
Did he still have her hairpin? Did he think about her the way she thought about him? Would he keep his promise?
208Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKpznBFrAfM
208Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUt2yNiHmhi
---
208Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnD3JKIH5wU
One particularly humid evening, Chi Yu was sent to the market to fetch dried lotus seeds for dinner. The street was alive with activity—merchants calling out prices, children darting between stalls, and the scent of roasting chestnuts thick in the air.
208Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡInMaMlBlSr
As she haggled with a vendor over the price, a flash of maroon and gold caught her eye. Her heart skipped. For a fleeting moment, she thought she saw Huayiang, his dark silhouette weaving through the crowd.
208Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKA8jBsq3iy
“Miss, are you buying or not?” the vendor asked impatiently.
208Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS9hoCcs6EW
“Sorry,” Chi Yu muttered, handing over the coins.
208Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEbag0vYcZa
She grabbed the pouch of seeds and hurried after the figure, her pulse quickening. She darted through the throng, her eyes scanning for the familiar dark changshan and quiet confidence. But when she reached the end of the street, there was no one there.
208Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsrJtzqXlWA
She stood still, catching her breath, her heart sinking. It wasn’t him. It couldn’t have been. Sizhou was far from Chang’an, and the idea of him being here was impossible.
208Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0ATCBohGCS
“Chi Yu!” a voice called.
208Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvIpL2xRj4a
Startled, she turned, expecting to see her mother or Ming. Instead, a stranger stood there—a boy about her age, holding a small folded piece of parchment. He looked nervous, shifting from foot to foot.
208Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5fFjr78XWW
“Are you Chi Yu?” he asked.
208Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEiAofhBoSx
“Yes,” she said cautiously.
208Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN6rInwh8V8
“This is for you,” he said, handing her the parchment before disappearing into the crowd.
208Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrt1zSPCxKW
Chi Yu unfolded it, her fingers trembling. The handwriting was neat and deliberate, the words simple but clear:
208Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCVWbI4lo88
"From Xinghua Mountain, to Sizhou. All happy events have a return. Wait for me."
208Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQJorpwu29E
She clutched the note, her heart racing. For the first time in weeks, she smiled—a small, hopeful smile that lit up her face.
208Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYiU7U6ZB8q
Huayiang hadn’t forgotten. Neither would she.
__
208Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhnsDOFGv48
and then Add to home screen.